Tutoring and Other Ways to Study Better

Challenges But Not Limitations, Tutoring Can Help

Students who attend FSU, no different than many other highly sought-after colleges, will be faced with challenging classes, taught by respected and renowned professors. They are no longer in high school where a student can often coast by; succeeding at FSU requires taking classes seriously. At the same time, there are many opportunities to get involved and enjoy these four years including football games, Greek life, and outdoor activities. A student needs to be able to balance all of this, which can prove daunting to many. But since they have such a selective admissions process, the understanding is that many of these students have already been faced with balancing academics, social and civic activities.

But Just in Case…Get A Tutor

If your student mentions he/she is having difficulty, there are many places he/she can turn; including speaking with his/her professor and/or teacher assistant. There are also peer academic study groups. Perhaps the best place to start is the Center for Academic Retention & Enhancement where you will find tutoring and a computer lab. For many classes, students are turning to outside assistance. Two of the more popular companies are Study Edge and Skoolers Tutoring which took over the former Tutoring Zone. Both companies offer exam review sessions, chapter review sessions, study hours, online videos and practice problems, specific to your professor, as well as other services for many of the more historically difficult courses including economics, accounting, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Students can choose between just taking the exam review or using the full semester review which covers every single weekly, chapter, or lecture review, as well as the exam reviews and all accompanying supplements.

In addition, located on the ground floor of FSU’s Johnston building is ACE Learning Studio which provides free tutoring in many subject areas. It is recommended that students go with specific questions. They are open to students by drop-in or appointment 850-645-9151. ACE also offers various (free) workshops to help make students successful. Subjects like Writing a Personal Statement for Graduate School or Scholarships, Strategies for Test Prep, Time Management and Taking Notes are presented periodically.

For those who just don’t want to schedule an appointment for tutoring there are walk-ins available for those interested in economics, biology and chemistry:

Chemistry Teaching Assistants are available to assist students enrolled in CHM 1045/6 & CHM 2210/11. The Center is located in the Chemistry Help Room (DLC 321C).

The Economics Help Desk, located in Bellamy 205 offers free walk-in tutoring in the following courses: ECO2000: Introduction to Economic Thinking, ECO2013: Principles of Macroeconomics, ECO2023: Principles of Microeconomics

Biology Teaching Assistants are available to assist students enrolled in BSC 1005. The Center is located in Milton Carothers Hall (MCH), room 425. Hours TBA.

The Biology Major Study Center in the King Building (KIN1054) is staffed by undergraduate tutors for BSC 2010 and BSC 2011. Free tutoring is provided for any student enrolled in either of these two courses, Monday – Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm, with the current term’s weekly schedule posted on the door.

Also, found right in Strozier and Dirac Libraries, from Sundays through Wednesdays, tutoring is free and available in the Learning District. There all sorts of subjects are covered, as well as information tutoring in conducting research, using technology, etc. Last, but not least, students should all take advantage of the Reading Writing Center. At some point in every student’s career, he/she will have to write a paper or do a presentation. The center provides support through tutoring, workshops and faculty consultations. It is an excellent source for help with writing, developing ideas or a practice audience. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments (made online) are encouraged. There are three locations on campus (Johnston, Strozier, and Williams). Students must register before accessing.

FSU does have a list of private but they do not interview nor vouch for the qualifications of these private tutors. These are local individuals who wish to advertise through FSU’s
department that they engage in private tutoring. These include the following subjects:

Textbook rental and purchase company Chegg offers Chegg Study for $14.95. Students have found success working with their specialists. They offer study help in business (finance, economics, accounting, operations management), Engineering (computer science, electrical, mechanical and civil engineering), Math (algebra, calculus, stats and probability, and other math) and science (physics, chemistry, biology). For more personal help, they also have Chegg Tutor which gives more one-on-one help. The price is $15/week for 30 minutes (50 cents/additional minute) and they offer a free trial.

And, students also speak highly of the Knack App, a peer-to-peer tutoring approach that allows students to find peers through the app that have done well in particular courses and schedule on their time. They offer package pricing but it equates to approximately $25/hour. They do offer discounts for higher hour packages including a semester pack and a yearly pack.